THERE was no shortage of black pudding on the shelves at the end of 2016 when I went shopping for this survey. We tasted just about all I could find in shops (not butchers) in Cork.

IT’S OFTEN been said that we have a lot in common — Hollywood hunk Colin Farrell and I. Apart from the obvious similarities — the simmering intensity, the brooding good looks and the sheer natural talent — we have another thing in common after my recent visit to the scenic Beara Peninsula in West Cork.

CARMEL SOMERS, owner of the iconic Good Things café in Durrus developed her love and appreciation of good food in her childhood “while surrounded by lavish roast dinners, meticulous baking and too much butter”.